Omaha daily bee., 1887-07-24
A PEN PICTURE OF HELENA.
How the Inhabitants Of the Thriving Mon.
tana Town Live.
A WICKED woMAN's WEALTH.
How "Chicago 10" has Made a For
tune-A Tendcrfoot In n Rcstau-
rant-People Who Love Chi.
nnmcn-MontanaN Notes.

namcn-MOntana Notes.
HELENA, NJ. II, July 16.-[ Core spond-
encc of the BEE. Thinking it would be
interesting for some of your readers to
hear of Montana rs 1t is by one who has
lived there Il number of years concluded
to send you brief sketch of Helena and
the people and territory in general In
the first place Montana is not situated
near the north pole, neither does 1t have
Arctic winters. Its winters resemble
those Of Colorado very much, and every
one knows that state claims to have an
Italian climate. Old timers who have
lived in Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska
say that Montana winters are not felt so
much as those Of the above states. In
regard to its summers they cannot be
surpassed in any country. They have
cool, pleasant evenings and Mt all times
one sleeps comfortably under warm GOV.
ers. During the hottest days the only in.
tense heat experienced Is between the
hours of l2 and 2, and from that time on
it begins o grow cooler.
Butte City is the principal city of the
territory and has population of 5000.
Helena, however, is the capital, aud has
q population of 200. Butte Is exclus-
lively Il mining camp and it derives sup
port from no other industry. As so much
of interest can be said of Butte we post
pone referring to ii until our next, and
coniine this letter TO Helena and the ter
ritory. Helena is n beautiful city situated
in the heart of the Rockies in the historl.
cal
LAST CHANCE GULCH.
1t is noted for its large number of
wealthy and enterprising citizens. men
who have made their fortunes either IN
mining or the sheep and cattle business,
men who take pride IN cndeavoring to
make Helena one of the finest cities in
the west, There is no city of its age and
size in the country that can compare
with it in regard to wealth, fine business
houses and costly residences. 1t has Just
completed 100000 court house, built
of Lake Superior red stone. and it is one
OF the finest structures in the northwest.
The Northern Pacific runs through
Helena and the Montana Union, branch
road owned by the Northern Pacific and
Union Pacific, connects it with Butte, 10S
miles distant. BY next fall the Montana
Central and Manitoba roads now under
construction, will enter this place, which
Will make 1t, as 1t is now to a great eX-
tent, the supply point for the northern
country AS far as the Canadian line.
Helena is surrounded by numerous min.
ing camps, such as Marysvilie, (where the
| famous Drum Lummon nine is situated),
Gloster, Wickes, Elkhorn. Boulder and
many others which are all tributary to
it. 1t is still a very lively town, but it
| will never again experience such lively
| times as it had before the railroads ar
| rived, when freighters, cow.punchers,
| mule-skinncrs, gamblers and fast women
| raised merry HI as soon rs night came
1t has become, during late years, quite a
moral city, and the last legislature
passed law prohibiting dance houses
from running.
| "a woman well known all over the west
and who has been running dance house
for twenty years IN Helena), however
| had several test cases as to its legality
and after spending considerable money
lawng she was finally knocked out. She
then converted her large dance hall into
variety show which she superintends
herself. She Is estimated to be worth
$250,000. In early days when running
her dance hall it was necessary to ge
new girls occasionally, as girls were
scarce in Helena at that time. ana they
would sometimes marry. get tired of be
| ing swung around by COW punchers anC
leave, or take dose of morphine, anc
she would take trip to Chicago. and BY
telling pack Of lies would induce girls
to return to Montana with her. She has
brought as high rs twenty-five girls a
one time.
There is n beautiful little opera houst
here, one variety show, numerous music
halls, and a few saloons that have sucf
attractions as q banjo picker, contortlon
ist or a woman singing. Some of tn,
best dramatic and operate companies or
the road stop at Helena. and they are al
ways we'll patrOnlzed. Outside of Helen:
but John IL. Mcclure, who has the Mon
tana circuit. has a stock company VIII,
take in all the territorial towns. Th
United States assay Office situated nea
the center of the town, although not
very handsome building. attracts goo,
deal of attention for the reason that 1T i
the only place where one can see tn
fresh green grass growing on the ground
which are arranged terrace fashion.
No doubt a great many eastern peopl
have an impression that
THE "NATIvEs" OF MONTANA
are quite barbaric and half of them liv
ing with squaws or belong to yigilanc
committees. In that they are great
mistaken for the society in Helena is jus
as refined as il is in Boston, They hav
their dudes and dudesses,, tobogga
| SiuDo, anu PhoSlCooiNt CuCilIc pdEllts
lawn tennis, poker and faro, bicycl
riders and broncho breakers etc. Th
writer does not know whether finge
bowls have been introduced IN Montan
yet or no. Napkins are used, however
but in some of the smaller camps n larg
New Foundland dog answers the pun
pose To illustrate and prove that
Montanian is up to the average societ
man, we mention the following, which
told of a Montanian for truth; 1t seem
two Bentonites entered restaurant i
Helena for the purpose of getting dinner
While waiting for their older,
A STRANGER ENTERED
and sat opposite to them and called fC
celery. Presently the water returne
with the celery when the stranger aske
If he could not get some with the ''rooi
on" One Of the two Bentonites hearn
the remark, nudged his friend IN tn
side. saying; Hear that - fool ash
, ing for celery with the roots on. Th
tops are good enough for me-"
Helena's population is composed {
people of nearly every nationality as ar
, all western towns. The Chinese, how
ever, are more numerous than any OthC
class of foreigners. They number b,
tween five and six hundred and are a
, punched together at the north end
| tnr Nhav ,Nr;, a., n.